Sunday, December 31, 2006

I like my knitting needles very sharp, and the factory default for most wooden and bamboo doesn't suit me very well.DH has taken sandpaper to my needles that could be sharpened. He starts with 100 grit to break the shoulder a little, then uses 400 grit to shape the point. You could, points out, just use 400 grit if that's all you have around.

He then rubs the wood with candlewax to fill in the gaps and make the surface very smooth.

Here is a picture of a pair of bamboo needles. The point on the right is the original; the point on the left is the result of DH's sandpaper antics. A big improvement for me. Some people won't want them that sharp, but you can adjust the tip to suit your personal knitting taste.

I do the same thing, except I first use a nail file and then this thing shaped like a nail file that I have for buffing your fingernails. It has 3 sides that are successively smoother; the final one buffs your nails to a high shine that looks like clear polish. It does the same thing for bamboo needles--and it's cheap--at target, walmart, etc. Then I finish it off with beeswax just like you do.